Reset, Regroup, Restart!

Christmas is already over, I’m back at work, and it’s time to ‘get back to normal’, whatever that means. To be honest, I probably enjoyed the holidays a little too much. While I still made an effort to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and to stay active (thanks, HBBC!), I also had lots of cookies and mulled wine, and took a total ‘rest week’, without a single workout. Oops!

I don’t feel too bad about my choices, tough. I knew that I wanted to indulge in my favorite seasonal treats, so I did, and that’s fine. And now that the holidays are over, I’m returning to my usual, healthier habits.

On Wednesday, I got my first post-holiday workout in. It was a mix of several exercise videos, and afterwards I was drenched in sweat and my legs were shaking. I loved it! Yesterday I finally went back to the gym for some running and biking. I even enjoyed running on the treadmill and stayed on a little longer than I had planned. Amazing! It feels so great to be back! I’m also trying to get rid of our leftover cookies. Sharing them with my co-workers usually works.

In last year’s recap and goals post, I wrote about how my active lifestyle had improved my health and overall quality of life. All of this is still true! While I may be tired and stressed sometimes, I generally feel really happy, healthy, and fit. In my opinion, that’s the best motivation to start or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Goals Report 2011

Get more sleep:Fail! I still get only get about 6 hours per night during the week, sometimes even less. I just can’t bring myself to go to bed before 11 pm, so I’ve decided to accept that fact and simply live with it. As long as I get to catch up on some missed sleep on the weekends, I’m fine. Sort of.

Keep running:Success! While I didn’t reach my goal of three runs per week all the time, I never completely quit and at least got in a few miles every month. And I even finished tworaces!

Include strength training:Semi-success! I did get quite a few strength sessions in, and I really enjoyed the pushups challenge, but I couldn’t keep it up the entire year.

Clean eating:Semi-success! I had good days, and not-so-good days. Towards the end of the year, the not-so-good choices have dominated. At least I’m still eating my veggies.

Weight loss:Semi-success! I did lose a few pounds before my wedding, but sadly gained them all back in the past few months.

Overall, not that bad, but I’m an ambitious person and I prefer to reach all of my goals.

My Goals For 2012

First of all, I need to get used to writing and typing 2012. That will take a while.

Run more: Lately, my runs have been short, slow, and few, so I want to get back to my original goal of running three times per week, also including some longer runs and some speed work. And I want to do more races! My dream is to run a half marathon one day. I don’t know if my rusty body can handle training for that distance, but I want to try. Now it’s official. Yikes!

Make strength training fun: I usually get bored by every strength training routine after a few weeks, so I need to find a way to make it fun, or else I will quit again. I’m thinking about doing the pushups challenge again, and trying a few new fitness videos that I found online.

Reduce sweets and treats: While I do make good food choices most of the time, eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, I still eat way too many sweets. I really want to work on that, by trying to replace the sugary stuff with healthier options like fruit, trail mix, smoothies, or an occasional cup of home-made hot chocolate.

Reach and maintain my happy weight: I don’t feel comfortable with my current weight and shape. I do have a specific number in mind that I want to reach, but I’d rather keep it to myself.

Save some money: While this goal is not directly related to health and fitness, it is kind of important for my mental health. The past year has been really tough financially, and that has caused a lot of stress and worrying for me, which is surely quite unhealthy. So I will work out a monthly budget, and make an effort to stick to it.

That’s enough, I guess. I’d rather set just a few big goals and focus on them, instead of overwhelming myself with too many things. As I like to get a head start, I won’t wait until Jan 1 to start my New Years Resolutions. Instead I’ll start right now! (Just like last year, when I joined the gym right after Christmas. I’m weird like that.)

What are your top goals for 2012? Do you enjoy strength training? I need some tips!

See you!

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5 Responses

I started a P90X home workout schedule and I really like it. I would recommend the P90 Complete program for you if you want to get started. If you get addicted you can move to P90X and after that P90X2. You don’t need the supplements they offer, just replace them with some vegan alternative.

My strength training routine of choice is ChaLean Extreme by Beachbody (makers of P90X). It’s basically lifting for women, but the routines are short (less than 45 minutes) and can be done with either dumbbells or resistance bands.